Govern Growth: A Council-Ready Blueprint for 23rd Street, the Turnpike, and a Self-Funding Sports Tourism Engine
This framework outlines a governance-first strategy to reduce economic leakage, prepare 23rd Street infrastructure, and create measurable demand that attracts hotels, restaurants, and retail—without increasing the general sales tax rate. It is grounded in Harrah’s comprehensive planning priorities, Oklahoma public-trust governance norms, and multi-year USSSA tournament performance evidence from a nearby case study.
What Harrah Must Solve (Four Interrelated Challenges)
- Economic leakage: 75% of households do less than half of their shopping locally.
- Demand for quality commercial development: Residents want restaurants, hotels, and retail—but not sprawl.
- Infrastructure timing risk: Turnpike access is arriving faster than municipal readiness.
- Public trust sensitivity: Residents distrust opaque subsidies, tax increases, and poorly governed projects.
Source: Executive synthesis and problem statement sections. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}
The Strategy in One Sentence
Establish a Harrah Parks & Recreation Authority to develop and operate a tournament-capable multi-sport complex as a self-sustaining economic engine, align 23rd Street infrastructure with Turnpike-driven growth using tools like TIF (new growth only), and convert visitor spending into transparent public benefits.
Source: Authority-led model, infrastructure spine, and governance framing. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}
Regional Proof: Bouse Sports Complex (Within ~5 Miles) — Why Demand Can Be Measured
The nearby Bouse Sports Complex provides a hyper-local case study demonstrating how youth sports tourism functions as a regional economic engine. The framework benchmarks multi-year performance and shows why Harrah can internalize the spillover value by hosting its own authority-governed complex at a Turnpike node.
Why This Matters to Harrah
- Sports tourism creates predictable weekend visitation and multi-night stays—key for hotel underwriting.
- Without an authority model, public returns can be fragmented: host costs vs. surrounding-city spillover capture.
- Harrah can “internalize the externality” by positioning a complex at 23rd Street / Reno Turnpike nodes.
Organizer Dominance (2024 Snapshot)
Figures below are shown as approximate in the document’s charts.
- Rick Glasser (USSSA OK): projected ~$11M economic impact; entry fees shown ~$554,454.
- Big Show Productions: projected ~$9M economic impact; entry fees shown ~$510,127.
- Lesson: strong performance often relies on a small number of high-volume promoter partnerships.
Source: Bouse case study metrics and tables (incl. chart/table image). :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}
Governance Vehicle: Harrah Parks & Recreation Authority (HPRA)
The framework recommends establishing HPRA as a public trust to serve as the dedicated implementation vehicle for financing, developing, and operating the sports complex and associated infrastructure strategy.
Why the Authority Model Matters
- Separates enterprise risk from the General Fund
- Enables revenue-backed financing and professional management
- Supports long-range planning beyond election cycles
- Creates lawful mechanisms for surplus reinvestment for public purposes
Source: HPRA rationale and governance section. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}
23rd Street as the Economic Spine
The proposal treats 23rd Street infrastructure as a shared enabler connecting the Turnpike interchange(s), sports complex location, hotel pad sites, and future restaurant/retail clusters.
Infrastructure Strategy Highlights
- Water, sewer, roads, and drainage planned as multi-user assets
- TIF considered to capture new growth only (not existing base)
- Avoids raising general sales tax rates
- Protects the General Fund while reducing developer risk
Source: Infrastructure spine + TIF framing. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}
Lawful Surplus Reinvestment (Critical Council Question)
The framework addresses how post-operation surplus can be handled with transparency and public-purpose guardrails.
Key Clarification
- Private-style “dividends” are not the model.
- Public-purpose surplus allocations are the model, by policy and with nexus.
Source: Surplus reinvestment section. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}
Order of Operations (Before Any Allocation)
- Operations
- Wages
- Debt service / buyback
- Required reserves
Source: Surplus prerequisites. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
Eligible Public Uses (With Nexus)
Event coverage, readiness, response capacity during high-traffic weekends.
Traffic management, tournament security, safe corridor operations.
Facility stewardship, beautification, volunteer-driven amenities.
Youth recreation partnerships tied to facility use and community wellness.
Corridor access improvements supporting visitor use and commercial pads.
Field upkeep, expansion, capital replacement, long-term competitiveness.
Source: Eligible public uses list and reinvestment rationale. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
Phased Action Plan: A Roadmap to Success
Structured for methodical execution, fiscal accountability, and stakeholder alignment.
Phase I (Year 1): Foundation & Feasibility
- Legally establish the Harrah Parks & Recreation Authority
- Appoint a governing board of stakeholders
- Commission market analysis + site selection at Turnpike nodes (23rd & Reno)
Phase II (Year 2): Design & Funding
- Develop Parks & Recreation Master Plan
- Secure financing via authority-issued bonds + pursue grants
- Finalize engineering for fields, access, utilities
Phase III (Years 3–4): Construction & Commercial Partnership
- Construct sports facilities and required infrastructure
- Actively recruit hotels, restaurants, and retail pad development adjacent to the complex
Phase IV (Year 5+): Operations & Growth
- Launch tournament operations and marketing
- Track performance: sales tax, hotel occupancy, visitor spending
- Plan expansions based on demand
Source: Phased action plan section. :contentReference[oaicite:9]{index=9}
Projected Public Benefits & Fiscal Impact
- Increased municipal revenue: visitor spending expands sales tax base and diversifies revenue.
- Targeted commercial growth: sustained demand attracts high-quality hotels, dining, and retail at Turnpike nodes.
- Enhanced quality of life: weekday community use + “health and wellness” amenities.
- Community identity: Harrah becomes a premier regional family sports destination.
Source: Public benefits and fiscal impact section. :contentReference[oaicite:10]{index=10}
Alignment with Harrah’s Planning Priorities
The framework is designed to implement—and not deviate from—Harrah’s comprehensive planning values by concentrating development at Turnpike nodes while preserving rural character elsewhere.
- Fiscal responsibility: self-funding enterprise model
- Economic development: Turnpike-anchored nodes (23rd & Reno)
- Rural character: concentrated nodes, no commercial sprawl
- Community identity: destination for families
- Quality of life: parks, wellness, local amenities
Source: Comprehensive plan alignment summary. :contentReference[oaicite:11]{index=11}
Formal City Council Proposal (Adoptable Summary)
Requested Council Actions
- Authorize formation of the Harrah Parks & Recreation Authority (HPRA).
- Initiate Phase I including Authority board appointment and feasibility/market/site study at 23rd Street and Reno nodes.
- Direct staff to evaluate TIF feasibility for 23rd Street corridor infrastructure (new growth capture only).
- Begin engagement with youth sports organizers and hotel developers after feasibility confirms capacity and siting.
- Require annual transparency reporting (financials, reserves, performance metrics, and any public-purpose surplus allocations).
This framework does not ask Harrah to gamble on development. It asks Harrah to govern growth—so that when development comes, it pays its way, strengthens public services, and leaves the community better than it found it.
Source: Formal recommendation + closing statement. :contentReference[oaicite:12]{index=12}
USSSA Tournament Finance Primer (Included for Public Understanding)
A core strength of this framework is that it explains sports-tourism finances in plain terms: Income, Expenses, Net, and Economic Impact—and why “Net” for the organizer is different than “Economic Impact” for the city’s businesses and tax base.
The Four Definitions
- Total Event Income: all revenue streams (gate, fees, sponsorship, lodging incentives).
- Total Event Expenses: costs to run tournaments (officials, awards, national fees).
- Total Event Net: Income − Expenses (organizer profitability).
- Total Event Economic Impact: new money into local economy (hotels, restaurants, retail, fuel).
Why Council Should Care
- Economic Impact is the basis for hotel/restaurant feasibility.
- Net revenue is what allows reinvestment and sustainable operations.
- Tracking both creates transparency and public trust.
Source: USSSA finance primer section. :contentReference[oaicite:13]{index=13}